Thursday, March 10, 2011

Two Cyber Myths That I'm Sick Of Hearing

In the last 30 minutes, I've heard two cybersecurity myths that I thought were long dead. To my amazement and great disappointment, they're both quite alive.

Myth #1. The Internet Kill Switch.

I can't believe that this myth is still being reported on. There is no kill switch in S.413 "The Cyber Security and Internet Freedom Act". In fact, it states just the opposite:

"(c) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or section 706 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 606), neither the President, the Director of the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications, or any officer or employee of the United States Government shall have the authority to shut down the Internet."

Myth #2: China hijacked the Internet for 17 minutes

This myth is not only still popular, it was recently cited by none other than the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Unfortunately there's no evidence to support this claim. The best analysis to date that I've read is by Craig Labovitz of Arbor Networks. Perhaps someone would pass these links along to Director Clapper?